Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes continued the roughest stretch of his professional baseball career on Wednesday after the team gave him a break to recover between starts.
However, the plan was ineffective as Skenes surrendered three runs in just four-and-a-third innings during a victory over the Tigers.
In a concerning sign, Skenes was yanked after just 81 pitches as fans continue to worry about his health for the rest of the season.
Skenes has now racked up a 6.52 ERA in his last four starts, allowing 14 earned runs in that span.
The flamethrower has also experienced a decrease in his velocity, adding to fans’ growing concerns.
Skenes has also now walked four batters in three of his last four starts.
Pirates ace Paul Skenes continued to struggle in his start against the Detroit Tigers
Skenes was pulled after 81 pitches despite being given a period to rest between starts
The Pirates have insisted that Skenes is healthy, but dealing with the stress and exhaustion of pitching a full MLB season.
If so, it’s a concerning sign after the former LSU star pitched a mostly full MLB season last year without similar signs.
Skenes’ decline has come as the Pirates are barely clinging on to their hopes of making the playoffs.
Pittsburgh now sits 16.5 games back of the NL Central leading Milwaukee Brewers and five-and-a-half games out of a Wild Card spot
Fans have also been quick to mock Skenes’ so-called ‘dad bod’ after he was seen on the beach with girlfriend and influencer Livvy Dunne.
